Big Fish
by kappie01
Summary: Sequel to Little Fish. Emi has grown into an independent five year old and she has lived on the Baratie all her life, and is itching for an adventure. She doesn't realize that an adventure is exactly what she's going to get.
1. Chapter 1

Welcome to the sequel! I hope you all enjoy this as much as you enjoyed 'Little Fish'. Kid, you gave me the idea for the sequel to be centred around Big Mom and the Whole Cake Arc, so thank you!

"Emi!"

"Emi!"

"EMI!"

Purple eyes opened sleepily as Carne bellowed her name. She grumbled and snuggled further into her blanket. She was having such a good dream! Emi was having a tea party with her transponder snail plush, and they were discussing the appropriate tactics to bugging Patty and Carne. The comfort of her blanket lulled the five year old into dreamland as steps pounded outside her door.

A large shadow crept over the snoozing child, and Emi's eyes popped open in surprise. She let out a yelp when she felt her body being lifted into the air, and her arms and legs flailed.

"Carne! Put me down!" Emi yelled, and the chef shook his head.

"Nope! I called you many times. It's time for you to get up!" the chef said as he held onto the back of her pyjama shirt and pants.

Emi squirmed in his grasp, but Carne held on tightly. She huffed and crossed her arms over her chest as the chef carried the five year old out of her room. Emi let out a grumble as the pair walked out to the railing that looked down to the restaurant, and Carne put the five year old down.

"Now don't go getting into trouble" he said, and Emi stuck her tongue out as he turned his back to her.

Carne walked into the kitchen; the sounds of clanking pots and pans reaching her ears. Emi grumbled under her breath and leaned her arms on the railing. Her purple eyes gazed out the window and saw dark clouds starting to roll in. Her stomach rolled in anxious anticipation as lighting lit the underneath of the dark clouds. Emi hated storms out at sea. She always hid under the blanket in her jii's bed, and despite his grouching, Zeff always allowed the girl to huddle against him.

Emi pushed off against the railing and walked around to find her jii. Thunder rumbled close by, and Emi flinched. Her steps began to hurry, and she began to tremble as the thunder began to sound louder. Where was her jii? Anxious fingers clutched the bottom of her pyjama top as she searched everywhere. The sky was dark by now, and the sea began to push aggressively against the Baratie.

"Jii-jii, where are you?" Emi murmured to herself as she continued searching.

A particularly loud thunder clap caused the child to freeze in fear, eyes wide. She gulped and continued her search with a frantic pace.

A thought popped into her head, and Emi let out an 'oh!'. Maybe her jii-jii was outside on the deck!

A triumphant smile spread across her face as Emi raced to one of the doors that led to the deck. She pushed through them and frowned: no jii here. The wind tugged at her hair and clothes as Emi walked across the deck. The ship rocked violently to the side, and Emi fell to the ground. Rain began to fall, and soon the five year old was soaked to the bone. Emi struggled to her feet, and a particular hard wave crashed against the Baratie, sending Emi flying to the side. A massive wave crashed into the Baratie again, and Emi found herself being washed over the railing. She let out a scream as she plunged into the cold ocean, and she squeezed her eyes shut against the water.

Emi let out a gasp at the frigid water, and sucked in a lung full of ocean water. Her head popped up above the waves, and she coughed as another massive wave plunged over her head. Emi was sent deep down into the black water, the currents sending her small body tumbling. Her lungs burned for air as Emi struggled to coordinate herself in the black depths. She didn't know which way was up!

 _'Papa...jii-jii'_ she thought before her mind went black.

Her limp body was towed by the ocean currents away from the Baratie as the storm raged on.

Inside the restaurant, the chefs were unaware that the small child had been washed overboard. The waves crashed against the sides of the Baratie, and Patty and Carne continued to argue. After a couple minutes, the chefs slowed to a stop. It was clear that no customers would be coming today in this weather. They all sat down, enjoying their rest as the storm raged outside.

"Oi, where's Emi?" one of the chefs asked suddenly, looking around.

It was common to see the child running around the kitchen, but this time there was no five year old.

"I thought she was with Carne" Patty said.

"I left her outside her room. Besides, she's probably with Head Chef" Carne answered.

"No one was with me" Zeff groused suddenly from the kitchen doors.

The other chefs froze as thunder rumbled loudly above their heads. Zeff gazed out the window and his eyes narrowed.

"Patty, check her bedroom. All you other chefs check every nook and corner" Zeff said, and the chefs scrambled to check.

There was a tone of urgency in the older man's voice, and everyone felt it as they searched for the five year old.

"Head Chef Zeff! Over here!" a cry came from outside.

Everyone gathered outside on deck despite the howling wind and rain to see a part of the railing had become damaged. Zeff's eyes narrowed as he digested what seemed to have happened.

"Did Emi get washed overboard?!" Party exclaimed, and Zeff nodded.

Everyone cried out in shock and fear as waves crashed against the Baratie.

"Head Chef, what are we going to do?" one of the chefs said with tears in his eyes.

Zeff was quiet for a moment, eyes searching the violent waters.

"We search after the storm has passed. It's not safe right now. Emi will be alright 'till then" he said gruffly before walking back inside.

The other chefs slowly followed him, tears streaming down some faces at the thought of the unknown fate of the five year old. Zeff went into his bedroom and untied his chef jacket. His eyes gazed around the room and landed on a small drawing on top of the dresser. The paper held three stick figures crudely drawn in red and purple crayons. Emi had drawn herself with Zeff and Sanji together, and presented it to the elderly man quite proudly.

Zeff gazed at the picture before heaving a sigh. Deep inside, he was troubled at the loss of the five year old. She couldn't swim, and who knew where the ocean had carried her.

~~~~~~~~  
Some miles away, a large pelican eyed something in the shallows of the water. The large bird swooped down and skimmed the water with its large beak and collected its prize. It's beady eyes widened at the size of its load: it was the biggest fish ever! Too big for this pelican to swallow whole.

It'd have to fly to its nest to break it up into smaller pieces.

With a flap of its mighty wings, the pelican took to the sky, its mind set on delivering this big fish to its chicks. The pelican set its course to one of the many islands in the New World, not realizing that the big fish it picked up was in fact a five year old child.


	2. Chapter 2

Emi let out a groan as her eyes opened slowly. What happened? The five year old blinked and slowly sat up, feeling sand underneath her feet. She suddenly coughed harshly as ocean water spewed from her lips. Emi continued coughing up ocean water as her lungs ejected the water.

When her body was rid of the water she looked around her surroundings, confused and scared. The last thing she remembered was being swept off the Baratie by a massive wave. Emi blinked again and slowly stood up, gazing at the miles of sandy beach. On the other side was a thick forest, and bird calls could be heard.

Emi felt her lip trembling as she slowly walked along the edge of the beach. She was all alone.

"Jii-jii...Patty...Carne...anyone" she whimpered as tears pricked at the back of her eyes.

A sob shook through her shoulders as she continued walking. The ocean had caused her pyjamas to become stiff and uncomfortable, and a cool wind blew across the sand. It caused the little girl to shiver, and some sand particles got into her eyes. Emi began to cry and rubbed her eyes, trying to get the sand out.

"J-jii-jii" Emi sobbed as she continued rubbing her eyes.

The sand really hurt! No one told her that it hurt so much!

Emi sat down on the sand and pulled her legs to her chest, burying her face into her knees. The beach echoed with her sobs as fear consumed the child. She wanted her jii-jii to come and swoop in and save her. She wanted her papa to come and save her, and to smell the combination of food and cigarette smoke on him. The five year old's cries gradually reduced to hiccups and sniffles. Her fists still rubbed her eyes as the sand particles irritated her purple eyes.

A rustle in the forest behind Emi caused her body to flinch.

"Hello? Are you okay?" a female voice said, and Emi scrambled back from the voice.

"G-go away!" Emi cried out, scuttling backwards with one hand while the other furiously rubbed at her eyes.

She yelped when the cold ocean water brushed against her back, and she felt tears prick at her eyes.

"Are you okay?" the voice said as it got closer.

"W-where am I? Where's jii-jii?" Emi's voice trembled.

"You poor thing! You're soaked through and you have so much sand in your eyes!" the female voice cooed to the frightened girl, and Emi heard footsteps in the sand come to her.

She felt soft hands stroke the side of her head, and Emi realized that she had been shivering. Her teeth chattered as the cold water sent shivers down her spine. The voice continued to coo and hands continued wiping at the sand on her eyes. Emi felt gentle pressure as some sort of soft material pressed against her eyes, wiping the sand away. Little by little, the five year old could open her eyes.

"There we go" the voice said as Emi opened her eyes slowly.

She blinked as a figure that belonged to the voice appeared in front of her. A young woman was kneeling in front of her with a gentle smile on her face. Long light brown hair was pulled back from the young woman's face in two pigtails and bangs hung over her forehead. Red eyes with long lashes gave the woman a striking appearance, and Emi blinked again. The woman smiled as she reached down to help the child up off the wet sand.

"What's your name?" the young woman said.

"Emi" the five year old answered as she looked down shyly.

"Such a pretty name for a pretty girl! I'm Pudding" the young woman said with a giggle.

Emi gave Pudding a small smile as Pudding took her hand and led her to a small path in the forest. As they walked, Emi began to open up more. She told Pudding about her life with her jii-jii and her papa, how she lived on a ship in the shape of a fish, and boasted about how she could easily hide from any of the chefs. Pudding listened to the child, laughing at her stories.

"Miss Pudding? Where am I?" Emi asked suddenly, gazing around.

"You're on Cocoa Island. I own a cafe here" Pudding answered as they exited the foliage.

Emi gasped at the vision that she saw: houses and shops that were made from candy and chocolate!

"Wow..." she breathed in awe as Pudding led her to a small building.

"This is Caramel" Pudding said, and Emi eyes widened.

"Pretty..." Emi breathed as Pudding led her to a small room where a couch, table and kitchen was.

"I don't have that many things for your age but let me see if I have at least something for you" Pudding said as she went towards a closet.

She rummaged through as Emi gazed around.

"Here we are. I hope it will fit you" Pudding said as she brought out a long shirt.

"I think it'll be a dress on you" the woman giggled as she helped Emi to take off the soaked pyjamas.

Pudding pulled the shirt over Emi's head and helped the five year old put her arms through the sleeves. It was indeed a dress on Emi, but it was warm and dry at least. Pudding then got a brush and towel and began the task of drying and brushing the girls hair. Emi winced a couple of times as the salt from the ocean had coated her silver hair, making some hair strands stick together.

Pudding was tying Emi's hair in two pigtails like herself as the five year old chattered about how she came here.

"It was stormy and and and I was outside. My jii-jii always told me to never go out on deck when it storms but I went anyways. This biiiiiiiig wave came and it took me into the ocean. I was really scared" Emi finished in a quiet voice.

"And I woke up on the beach here" Emi said, lip trembling and tears welling up in her eyes.

Pudding frowned and softly stroked the girls head as Emi began crying. She didn't know where or when she would see the chefs of the Baratie or even her jii or papa again. Pudding continued to soothe the grieving child until her sobs became hiccups.

"Let me get you some food and something hot to drink. You can stay here until we figure something out" Pudding said with a warm smile.

"We?" Emi echoed, cocking her head in confusion.

"Yes, I'm part of Big Moms pirate crew. Don't be scared" the woman said, and Emi shook her head.

"I'm not scared! My papa joined a pirate crew too!" she said with a big smile, and Pudding's shoulders relaxed.

"I'll take you to meet Big Mom after" Pudding said, and Emi smiled.

"Okay!" Emi chirped, but her stomach let out a viscous growl and Pudding laughed.

It looked like this child was starving, and Pudding would have to fix that.


	3. Chapter 3

Emi was overjoyed when she saw the mountains of chocolate that Pudding had brought in for her to eat. She had never seen so much before! Jii-jii would have never allowed her to eat all this chocolate. Her wide purple eyes gazed up at the woman giggling in front of her.

"We'll go and meet Big Mom soon. I'm sure she would be thrilled to meet you" Pudding said with a smile as Emi swallowed a particularly large chunk of chocolate.

Emi fidgeted with the edge of her shirt/dress as shyness took over. She was never really good at meeting new people.

"Emi? What's wrong" Pudding said.

"I...it's just meeting new people. I've never really been good at meeting new people" the five year old said, her eyes downcast.

The older woman gave the child a brief pat on the top of her head, causing Emi to look up.

"It's okay, Emi. I'll be there with you. You know me, right?" Pudding said with a smile, and Emi nodded slowly.

"Yeah...I guess" the child murmured, and a yawn interrupted her next sentence.

Pudding smiled and Emi sheepishly scratched the back of her head.

"Sorry Pudding, I guess I'm tired" she said.

"You should take a nap. It's been a hard day for you" the woman said, and Emi nodded.

The five year old didn't realize that her eyes were getting heavier, and her head was beginning to nod. Pudding got up to retrieve a blanket and pillow from somewhere, and placed it on the couch for the five year old. Emi smiled in thanks and snuggled in, her eyes closing in an instant.

As the five year old slept soundly, Pudding got an evil glint on her eyes. Her lips pulled up in a mean smirk as she regarding the sleeping child. This was working out wonderfully. A few choice words here and there, and this foolish child was in her clutches. Big Mom would indeed be proud.

Blinking multiple times to clear the sleep from her eyes, Emi pushed herself up into a sitting position. Her silver hair fell into her eyes as she sleepily looked around. She yawned and rubbed her eyes as Pudding walked up to her.

"I hope you had a good sleep" she said, and Emi nodded.

"Yes thank you" she answered with a shy smile.

"Come! Let's wash your hair before we go" Pudding said, and Emi nodded before getting off of the couch.

The salt from the sea had encrusted the child's hair into sticky strands that stuck up at odd angles. They walked to a small bath and as Pudding ran the water, Emi gazed out the window. What was her jii doing right now? Probably yelling at Patty and Carne.

An hour after, Emi was clean and dressed. Pudding had put Emi's hair up into pigtails and had some of her silver hair frame her face.

"There! You're all set" Pudding said with a smile, and Emi smiled back.

"Really?"

"Oh yes! Big Mom will love you" Pudding said, and took Emi's hand in her own.

"Okay..." Emi murmured as Pudding led her out of the cafe and down the road.

"We're going to Whole Cake Island. It's very important to me. You see, I'm getting married" Pudding said, and Emi gazed up at the woman with wide eyes.

"You are?! Woah! Is your dress big? Is it poofy? Is it white? I've never seen a wedding dress before" Emi gushed, smiling happily up at the older woman.

Pudding smiled back and said nothing as the child continued chattering. They reached a small harbour where they both got on a ship. It was not a long ride, and Emi gazed around anxiously. What was Big Mom like? Was she nice? Hopefully she was as nice as Pudding. As the ship came to Whole Cake Island, Emi found herself gripping Pudding's hand more fiercely. Pudding led the child down the harbour and they soon came to massive buildings made out of cake. Emi gasped as she laid eyes on the frosted architecture. It was even bigger then Cocoa Island!

The two walked down the road and Emi continued gazing with open wonder at the buildings.

"Here we are" Pudding said as she led Emi to the central building.

Emi's eyes widened even more. This building was huge!

Pudding led the girl up the steps and into the large building with a crown that outlined the door. The large Jolly Roger stood out against the frame of the building with its pink colour. Pudding led Emi up many flights of steps and to a large room. The door opened with a smile, and Emi hid behind Pudding. It was scary as Pudding closed the door.

"This is my room. You can stay here until Big Mom is ready to meet you" Pudding said with a smile.

Emi looked around, taking on the vast pictures of baked goods and pink. It was a vast difference to her bland room back at the Baratie. The five year old walked around as Pudding seemed to be deep in though.

"Oh!" Emi exclaimed when she saw the balcony.

She skipped over to the balcony and peaked over it. She let out a surprised noise when the balcony overlooked the entire island.

"Wow..." Emi breathed when she gazed at the sights below.

"Yes it's quite charming isn't it" Pudding said behind her.

Emi continued to gaze out at the island, mind wandering. She missed the chefs at the Baratie terribly. How was she going to get back to them?

After a couple minutes of daydreaming, a hand on Emi's shoulder broke her out of her thoughts. Pudding looked down and smiled at the girl.

"It's time. Big Mom wants to see you" she said, and Emi nodded.

The two walked out of Pudding's room, down and up numerous flights of stairs and to another room. This room was even bigger then Pudding's room!

There were books everywhere and a massive chair sat in the middle of the room. A monstrous woman sat in the chair, and Emi quickly hid behind Pudding as they walked towards the monstrous woman. There were other people in the room as well, and Emi peeked out to glance at them. Her purple gaze shifted to the monster woman: she wore a polka-dotted shirt with a tattoo on her large arm. Her beak nose jutted out at a prominent angle, and her pink hair framed an overly obese face. A large hat sat prominently on top of her head, and the woman gazed at a book.

Pudding stopped in front of the large woman and gestured for Emi to come out from behind her legs. Emi hesitantly took a couple steps from behind the womans legs, and as soon as the large woman's gaze snapped to her, Emi jumped right back behind Pudding's legs. The other people in the room began to talk amongst themselves as Emi peeked around the older woman's legs. One of the men looked familiar to her, but Emi couldn't figure out why.

A choked noise caught her attention, and Emi glanced around. Her eyes widened when she saw one very familiar person standing behind her and Pudding.

"P...papa?" Emi whispered in disbelief when she saw her papa standing there.

His hair was parted on the other side, but he still had the same cigarette hanging from his lips. Emi's eyes filled with tears and she let go of Puddings legs, running as fast as she could to Sanji.

"Papa! Papa! You're here! Papa!" Emi sobbed as Sanji picked up the sobbing child.

She has grown since he had visited her for her birthday a couple weeks ago. Sanji frowned as Emi clung to his neck. He patted her back as she snuggled into his white shirt. Her papa was here, she was safe now.

A gruff noise of disgust echoed in the room, and Emi peeked up from her papas shirt. The tall older man in the room stalked towards them, and Emi pressed her face into her papa's shirt. This man was scaring her. His blonde hair was crazy and all over his thick neck, and his moustache stuck out in sharp angles.

"Sanji, who is this insignificant whelp? You are here to marry Pudding!" the man snapped, and Emi blinked in surprise.

"Papa is going to get married to Pudding? Are you going to be my mama then?" Emi asked, looking at Pudding.

The young woman blushed as the older blonde haired man scoffed and reached a massive hand towards Emi. She squealed and hid her face in Sanji's shirt as he took a step back, body turning to shield the young child.

He would protect Emi with his life, especially from Judge Vinsmoke.


	4. Chapter 4

Thanks to TheParadoxicalOxymoron for pointing out the formatting error in this chapter! Hopefully no more formatting problems happen!

Emi hid her face in Sanji's shirt as Judge Vinsmoke glared at the child. She was ruining this political plan of marriage, and he would not allow anything to ruin this plan. Sanji would be married to Pudding Charlotte, solidifying a relationship with the large female Yonko. Judge growled in irritation.

"Sanji, put this whelp down. You don't know where it's been" he groused.

His son sent him a glare as he tightened his grip on the child. Emi tightened her grip around her papas neck as Judge took another step towards them. This man was really staring to scare the five year old, and she began shivering at the murderous glare being sent her way. The other men took steps towards the pair, and Emi gazed at them fearfully. She blinked when she realized they had the same eyebrows as her papa. She turned her purple eyes to her own papa with a furrowed brow.

"Who are they, papa?" Emi asked him, and Sanji sighed.

Judge let out a loud laugh, echoed by the younger men and woman behind him.

"These are my sons: Ichiji, Niji and Yonji. Sanji is my son too" Judge said with a large grin, and Emi looked up at Sanji with wide eyes.

"You have brothers?" she asked, eyes wide.

Sanji didn't answer the child, but instead put her down on the ground. Emi clutched at his pant leg, and hid partially behind the matieral. Judge sneered at the child before turning his attention to Sanji.

"You'll come with us, Sanji. We must go back to Germa Kingdom" Judge rumbled before turning away and walking out of the room, his other sons and daughter following.

He suddenly stopped and turned towards them. Judge reached into his pocket and drew out a picture. Emi's eyes widened when she saw her jii-jiis face was on it.

"If not, then I have a hit on your prescious Zeff. We have pinpointed his exact location. What's wrong, you look a bit pale" he drawled out, seeing the colour drain from his third sons face.

Emi glanced up at Sanji when she felt him stiffen. What did that mean?

"Papa?" Emi murmured when Sanji began to follow them.

She scrambled after him and held onto his pant material. The group walked out of the room that echoed with the laughter of the female Yonko. The group continued walking as Emi pressed herself to Sanji's leg. Her stomach churned with a bad feeling that settled there.

"Papa?" Emi began to ask as they continued walking through the streets.

"Emi, stay quiet and don't leave my side" Sanji snapped, and the five year old flinched away.

Her papa had never talked to her that way, not even when she was caught playing with his knives. The five year olds eyes began to fill with tears as she hung her head. The tears silently cascaded down her cheeks as she slowly followed Sanji. Reiju watched her brother interact with the child, and an unknown look passed in her eyes. This sudden attitude change didn't suit her caring brother. The group walked in silence until they reached the harbour. Emi stopped to gaze at a particularly tasty-looking building made to be what looked like frosting when Judge exploded.

"You insignificant whelp! You are keeping us from our destination!" Judge roared, and Emi shrank back from the force of his anger.

Judge Vinsmoke raised his hand with the exact intention to hit some sense into the child, and Emi shrank back. She scrambled back and ran past the group and into the shadows of a nearby house.

She heard a brief commotion and her name being called but she kept on running, her fear acting like kindling to a fire that kept her legs going.

Tears blurred her vision as she twisted and turned until her lungs cried out for her to stop. Emi suddenly tripped on a loose stone and fell face-first onto the street. The stone scraped at her face, and Emi sat up slowly. Her cheek burned as the gravel had scraped away at her skin. Her cries echoed in the small alleyway she had found herself in as she huddled against a wall. She was alone, scared, tired and hurt. Her papa had snapped at her and the large man almost hit her for no reason. Emi just wanted to go back to the warmth and safety of the Baratie.

The sun began to set and Emi found herself wandering the streets of Whole Cake Island. Bright colours painted the sky, but Emi didn't notice them as she continued walking. Her stomach growled, and she patted it gently. Even thought the buildings looked like they were made out of cake, she wasn't sure if it was actually edible. It looked like she wouldn't be having any food tonight. She squeezed herself into a back alley where it was sheltered from the wind. She huddled between a couple of boxes and curled into herself, bringing her knees up to her chin. Her shoulders shook from the cool night air, and she curled her knees into her chest tighter. Sighing, Emi closed her eyes and willed her body to go to sleep.

Birds chirping woke Emi, and she uncurled herself from her ball between the boxes. Her little shoulders were smudged from the dirt on the ground, and her cheek throbbed from her fall the day before. Hunger gnawed at her stomach and Emi slowly stood up. She started walking down the alley, wondering what to do when she heard a commotion coming from the main street.

She followed the noise until she stopped short: her papa was with the other men, massive soldiers were standing in front of them, and Luffy and Nami were standing on the other side.

Emi cocked her head in confusion.

What was going on? Her papa was in some sort of big ball with wheels, and for some reason was yelling at Luffy. She took some hesitant steps towards Luffy, and Sanji's eyes snapped to her own purple orbs. His heart clenched when he saw how dirty and tired the child looked. He couldn't let Judge near her, and turned his attention to Luffy. He leapt at Luffy and aimed a powerful kick his way. It hurt him to attack his friend, but Sanji knew that he had to do that. Luffy flew back and landed on the ground, knocked out.

Nami's eyes snapped over to Emi when she heard the five year old cry out.

"Emi?! What are you doing here?!" she shouted, and the child looked over to the navigator.

"N..Nami? What's happening? Why is papa attacking Luffy?" Emi said, tears welling up in her eyes.

Nami walked quickly over to the child and hugged her close, feeling her shoulders shake with fear and confusion. This was no place for a young child to be, and Name placed a comforting hand on Emi's head. Nami watched as the carriage rolled away and the child began to sob quietly against Nami's shoulder.


	5. Chapter 5

Nami gritted her teeth as Emi suddenly took off from her through the streets. Emi's tears silently slid down her cheeks as she ran and ran ran. She didn't want to believe it: her papa was a good man. He would never hurt anyone unless they were going to hurt anyone he loved.

Emi let out an ' _oof_ ' when she ran into something hard and landed on her bottom. She looked up through her tears to see one of her papas brothers standing there. The man grinned and reached out with his hand to grab Emi, who immediately scrambled back. She let out a scream when Yonji grabbed the back of her shirt and lifted the five year old up off the ground with a grin.

"Lemme go! Lemme go!" Emi shouted as she kicked her feet, trying to kick at the man.

Yonji cackled and began walking with the struggling five year old towards the chateau. As they entered the largest building on the island, Emi felt her heart sink. Where was her papa? Yonji carried the five year old to the library, where Charlotte Linlin was sitting still in her giant chair and the rest of the Vinsmoke family was situated. Emi tried to free herself again, but a firm shake from Yonji kept her still.

She shuddered when the massive pink haired woman set eyes on Emi's own.

"Same pipsqueak as before? Send her back to the ocean" Big Mom thundered.

Emi shrank back in Yonji's grasp as Judge walked over to them. She shook in fear, but managed to stick her tongue out at him. Judge growled and grabbed Emi from Yonji, shaking her back and forth until she was sure her teeth would fall out. After what felt like hours of Judge shaking her, he suddenly stopped and Emi's world spun.

"You are nothing" he hissed to her, and Emi shrunk back in fear.

A sudden rumble caught everyones attention, and a tall skeleton exploded through the door. Emi's eyes widened and Big Mom stood up, two entities circling around her massive body. Judge stood back with Emi still in his grasp as the two battled. The five year old coughed as dust and debris rushed into her face, and Judge threw her to the ground. Emi yelped when her back hit the hard ground and she lay there, stunned. She slowly sat up on the floor and blinked through the dust. It coated everything and made it impossible to see. Crashes could be heard throughout the room, and something sharp slashed against her arm. Emi cried out and held her injured arm, feeling warm liquid drip down her arm. She struggled to her feet and tried to find a way out of the room through the dust.

The floor rumbled and quaked, and the five year old fell to her knees. Sharp pieces of floor cut through the skin on her knees, and Emi bit her lip to keep from crying out. She didn't want anyone to know she was trying to find her way out.

She finally made it out of the library and ran to a darkened corner. She whimpered as both her knees and shoulder bleed fiercely. Emi coughed as dust continued to encompass everything, and she took a couple hesitant steps towards the staircase. Footsteps sounded from behind her, and Emi whirled around to see her papa standing there. Tears rolled down her cheeks as her heart clenched painfully. She wanted to go to her papa, but he hurt Luffy. She turned her back on Sanji, meaning to be mad at him. It would have worked, except her quivering shoulders gave her feelings away.

"Emi" Sanji murmured through his cigarette.

The only thing he could hear was her whimpering.

"Emi."

No answer.

Sanji sighed and walked to the child. He knelt down and turned her body towards him. He had to make her understand why he was doing this. Judge had threatened not only Zeffs life, but Emi as well. Emi refused to meet his eyes and instead focused her gaze on the floor beside him. Tears slid down her cheeks and dripped onto the floor as Sanji tried to get the five year old to talk to him. Emi couldn't find it within herself to answer her papa. He had hurt his friends. After a couple minutes of Sanji trying to reach the child, he still wasn't victorious. He sighed and suddenly scooped her into his arms, earning him a surprised yelp from Emi. He needed to get those wounds of hers dressed, and he carried her to the guest room where he was staying.

When they arrived, Emi still wouldn't look at her papa as he placed her on the bed. He then got out a cloth and wet it, dabbing away at the blood. It was silent except for the rustle of cloth and an occasional sniffle.

"Papa?" Emi whispered.

Sanji made a noise to show he was listening but continued to work on cleaning Emi's knees and shoulder.

"Why...did you hurt Luffy" she asked hesitantly.

Her papa sighed and stood up, blowing smoke out. He sat down beside her on the bed, and silence encompassed the room.

"I have to do it. If not, the chefs at the Baratie, the old fart and even you will be in danger" he said, and Emi looked up at him.

"So...papa is trying to save me and jii-jii and Patty and Carne and everyone?" Emi said, eyes wide.

At Sanji's nod, Emi flung herself on him, smiling through her tears and hugging him around his waist. She knew it! She knew her papa was good! She felt a hand on her back as she smiled widely.

"I need a taster. I'm going to make Pudding some food to make her feel better. Care to help?" her papa said, and Emi gazed up at him before nodding happily.

She watched as her papa began cooking. It seemed so long ago that she was watching him in the kitchen or helping him. Her legs swung back and forth on the edge of the bed and she began to wonder where Luffy and Nami were. An idea popped into her mind, and Emi hopped off the bed and walked out of the guest room. She would look for them herself.

The ceiling shook, and her ears caught the sound of many people battling. Emi raced down the hallway and down the numerous flight of stairs. Her eyes widened when she saw smoke begin to fill the hallways. It flew into her face and choked the young girl, causing her to cough harshly. Emi ran with half-closed eyes to try and get out. Her heart gave a little flip in victory when she saw the main staircase. She ran down the stairs, not caring about holding onto the railing.

The floor suddenly shook hard, causing her to lose her balance and fall down the stairs with a cry. Emi smacked her head on the edge of a stair, and her mind immediately went black. Her limp body landed on the ground and she lay there, strands of hair covering her face. Flames began to lick at the floor and along the walls. It started to become dangerously close to the child, and smoke and soot covered everything.

Unknown hands reached down and picked the five year old up quickly. The hands held the girl to a chest tightly and ran out of the big building and down to a certain spot. Smoke billowed from the chateau as Sanji raced to the spot where Luffy said he would be. His heart was pounding as he held Emi close to him. He hoped he got the child in time. He placed her down on the ground and put his cape over her form before brushing her hair out of her face.

It seemed like a lifetime before Emi opened her eyes. She looked groggily around her, lifting her head a little. It hurt too much, and with a whimper she rested her head back on the ground. Blinking slowly, Emi suddenly coughed and her body spasmed from the severity of the coughing. When her lungs could breathe a little better, Emi rubbed her eyes with her fists and gazed around her.

She let out a yawn as her body felt like it was weighed down by bricks. Her head rolled to the side, and her eyes started to close. Emi let out a startled noise when she felt herself being lifted up, and she gazed at the person with an unfocused gaze.

"Papa" she croaked, and immediately fell asleep as she rested her head against his chest.

Sanji held the child in a tight grip as he checked her head wound. It was a nasty gash from the stairs, and he was worried. He had hid with the child as Pudding and Chiffon sailed them to Cacao Island, and he was getting increasingly worried for her.


	6. Chapter 6

Come one come all to the last chapter of little Emi's adventure! I'm in the staff room at my school right now and have some time to upload this. Thank you everyone for your amazing reviews!

Coughing startled the people in the small building as the day went on. Sanji raced to a small room where the injured five year old lay. The man knelt down and helped the barely conscious child sit up from a couch. Her head rolled on a limp neck, and her face was flushed.

A fever had grasped the five year old from the grime and germs from the floor she had cut her knees on.

Her eyes opened briefly, then closed as she exhausted herself from the coughing fit. Her small body shivered as sweat beaded her forehead. Chiffon gave Sanji a wet cloth to dab on the child's forehead. The man smoked more then usual, and both could tell he was worried for the child. Emi lay limply in his arms and if they didn't look hard enough, they wouldn't know that her little chest was rising and falling the tiniest bit.

Her cheeks were flushed and Sanji's eyes narrowed when he felt heat coming off her little body. He gently lowered Emi down to rest on the small couch and pulled a blanket up to her chin.

Sanji got up to go back to the kitchen when he heard a small voice calling him.

"Papa" Emi's small voice hoarsely called from the couch.

The man turned to see the child struggling to sit up and walked over to Emi. Her half-lidded eyes gazed up at him as he brushed some strands of hair away from her sweaty face. She blinked slowly as her body swayed back and forth. Her knees throbbed and burned as her small body battled against the infection that had set in.

"Papa...where's jii-jii" she asked and Sanji frowned.

"He's back at the Baratie" he said, and blinked when he noticed that the girl was already asleep.

He situated the child back onto the couch before getting up. A small whimper caught his attention and he looked back to see Emi tossing and turning. He sighed and sat back down, placing a gentle hand on the child's head, causing her to calm down. His lips twitched in a small smile; she would only fall asleep when he was beside her. Pudding watched with worried eyes; the child didn't deserve to die like this. She had been told the story by Sanji of how the chefs at the Baratie had found Emi from a ship wreckage and took her in.

Emi's eyes opened again and gazed up at Sanji's. Her purple eyes were bright with the fever and she coughed harshly before her shoulders relaxed. She had taken in more smoke then previously thought, and her lungs burned from it.

 _Her mind swirled with black and grey, and her body felt weightless. In her minds eye, Emi was sitting on something solid. She looked around, brows drawn in confusion. It looked like she was on the deck of a ship, but it wasn't the Baratie._

 _Where was she?_

 _A flag with a jolly roger waved in the air on a solid pole in the sky. She stood up, looking around the large ship with curious eyes. She could hear a woman's laughter from a doorway, and scampered over to investigate. She frowned when she realized that she was too short to see through the window in the door. Puffing her cheeks out in irritation, she looked around and spotted a large crate. Emi went to it and as she was about to pull it towards the door, the ship deck began to rumble. Emi yelped as fire exploded from below the deck._

 _Screams could be heard as she tumbled from the wooden crate. Shadows ran back and forth as cannon fire could be heard from close range. The ship rocked back and forth and Emi saw a woman running to the edge of the deck. She was tall and carrying a small bundle close to her chest, and Emi ran to get a closer look. The woman looked oddly familiar to the five year old, but she couldn't understand why._

 _She crept closer as battle cries echoed around the two as the woman held the bundle close. Emi peaked around the woman to gaze at her face, and blinked when she noticed sad, brown eyes. Silver hair like her own hung down to frame the woman's face, and tears slid down her cheeks. She kissed the bundle with trembling lips, and a cry came from the bundle. Emi blinked when she saw a small baby begin to cry as the woman placed it in a wooden box as more cannon blasts sounded, rocking the ship violently._

 _The woman and Emi were thrown to the side as part of the ship broke apart. Emi struggled to sit up just as another cannon ball blasted through the ship, sending Emi tumbling into the ocean. She flailed in the water and managed to resurface, coughing from the salty sea water. A piece of wood floated by, and Emi grabbed onto it. She watched as the box containing the baby float away as the rest of the ship began sinking. Her heart sunk as the ocean was deathly silent, and she was left to float in the water._

 _"That...must have been my mama" Emi murmured to herself, tears filling her eyes._

Emi's eyes opened slowly, and she blinked away the rest of the sleep that clung to her eyelids. She turned her head slowly, wincing as her muscles protested against it. Her throat was parched, and her skin felt sticky and grimy. Footsteps echoed beside her, and she turned her head slowly. Blonde hair entered her fuzzy vision, and her lips slowly curved upward in a smile when her papa entered her vision.

He placed a hand against her forehead, brushing away a few strands of hair. The blonde haired chef had kept close watch over the child during the night as they waited for Reiju to come and heal the five year old. The sister had indeed come, and the chef couldn't have been more thankful. The child was important to Sanji, and he would have done anything to keep the child safe.

"Papa..." Emi whispered through a dry throat, and the man tipped the childs head to put a glass of water to her lips.

"Wha' happened?" she asked groggily, struggling to sit up.

Her papa helped her up slowly, and Emi rubbed her eyes.

"You were sick for awhile" her papa answered, and Emi gazed up at him.

Her eyes began to close, and she leaned her body against her papa's leg. Her body was exhausted from fighting the fever and needed the rest. She also needed fluids to help replenish her body, and Sanji was making some broth for the five year old.

"I saw...my mama" Emi murmured before her body went limp as sleep claimed her.

Sanji's eyes widened but chalked it up to the fever. He sighed and took a cigarette out and lit it, puffing away. He placed a hand on Emi's head lightly, listening to her deep breathing. Tomorrow they would find a way for Emi to go back to the Baratie, and Sanji would continue his adventures with the Straw Hats.

Pudding brushed Emi's clean hair as the young girl fiddled on the chair. She had been scrubbed until every inch of her was clean, and Pudding made sure to be careful with her still-healing wounds. The shirt that Pudding gave her hung off her shoulders, and the woman had tied a belt around her middle to make it into a dress. The woman had exposed her third eye, and to Emi it was the coolest thing ever. She had looked at her papa and demanded why she didn't have a third eye too.

"There, all done" the woman said, and Emi booked it off the chair.

She ran out the building with Pudding following behind and flung herself at Luffy. The boy gave a loud laugh and lifted the child up. Emi then looked at her papa and held her arms out, like she used to do when she was a toddler. Sanji took her from his captain, and she pressed her face against his shirt. They had introduced her to the other members of the crew, and she had shyly said hello.

"It's time" Pudding said, and she looked up to see a messenger bird sitting there.

"This bird will take you back to the Baratie" Pudding said.

Emi bit her lip; she didn't want to leave her papa but she also wanted to go back to her jii-jii. Sniffling, Emi squeezed her papa's neck with all of her strength and felt her papa's arm around her own. She knew her papa had to continue his journey, and she wouldn't stop him.

"Bye papa" she said, and jumped down from Sanji's arms before skipping to the bird.

The bird opened its pouch and Emi climbed inside. Emi giggled at how big it was, and sat inside. She poked her head out of the opening and waved frantically as the bird took off, climbing higher and higher into the blue sky.

Back on the Baratie an elderly man stood on the deck, eyes watching the sea. A bird squawk caught his attention, and he blinked in surprise when a large messenger bird landed on the Baratie. It's bag wiggled violently, and Zeff raised an eyebrow. A silver head poked out and a giggling five year old tumbled out of the bag. She got up, dusting the bottom of her skirt and gave the bird a wave.

"Thank you mister bird!" she called as the messenger bird took off.

She looked around, smiling widely when she realized she was back on the Baratie. A noise caught her attention and she turned her head to see her jii walking towards her. Her smile widened and she ran to the man.

"Jii-jii!" she screamed as she flung her arms around the Head Chef, squeezing with all her might.

Zeff lifted the five year old into his arms, his lips twitching into a smile as Emi let out a tirade of her adventures. He carried the five year old into the Baratie, the deck filling with the sounds of the other chefs celebrating the return on the five year old.


End file.
